The Campus NFL Mock Draft

Photo courtesy of www.wikimedia.org

With the NFL combine over and the approaching draft on April 23, The Campus sports writers Dillon Johnson and Jon Painter take their shots at predicting the first 10 picks of the NFL draft. The Cincinnati Bengals will pick first this year due to their 2-14 record. 

Jon Painter

1. Cincinnati Bengals: I have the Bengals taking Chase Young, defensive end from Ohio State. Joe Burrow is the popular pick, having won the Heisman and growing up in Ohio but Chase Young went to Ohio State and it will be hard for the Bengals to pass up the most talented player in the draft. 

2. Washington Redskins: With new coach Ron Rivera at the helm, the Redskins look to move away from Dwayne Haskins after only one year. The Redskins will take Joe Burrow quarterback from LSU. 

3. Detroit Lions: The Lions need more dynamic down the field passing. Kenny Gollady is a great receiver but they need to add another weapon for Matthew Stafford to sling the ball to. The Lions find that receiver in Jerry Jeudy from Alabama. 

4. New York Giants: Jeff Okudah is the best player in the draft not named Chase Young or Joe Burrow.  The Giants defense has lacked play makers and as the second player from Ohio State taken in this draft Okudah brings electricity to the cornerback position for the Giants. 

5. Miami Dolphins: The Miami Dolphins are unsure who their quarterback of the future will be, but whoever it is will need a big offensive lineman in protection. With the fifth pick, the Dolphins take offensive lineman Andrew Thomas out of Georgia to bolster their offensive line. 

6. Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers and long time quarterback Philip Rivers seem to be moving on from each other. This leaves a void on what otherwise appears to be a deeply talented roster. The Chargers with the sixth pick gamble on Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s health and tab him as their quarterback of the future.

7. Carolina Panthers: The new coach and new owner of the Panthers have both come out as non-commital to former MVP quarterback Cam Newton. So are the Panthers going to draft one with their first round pick? It seems more likely they look for Luke Kuechly’s replacement at linebacker by taking the versatile, speedy Isaiah Simmons, the linebacker from Clemson. 

8. Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray was dynamic as a rookie quarterback, but he needs more help. The Cardinals are going to take speedy CeeDee Lamb one of Murray’s former wide receiver targets at Oklahoma with the eighth pick.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars have more massive needs to fill on their defensive line. They are going to look to Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos to fill the void on their defense. Gross-Matos has a motor that keeps on going. 

10. Cleveland Browns: The Browns are going to add a defensive lineman from South Carolina Javon Kinlaw to bolster their inconsistent team play. The Browns are a team which has tons of talent but fails to do the little things, and that turn around starts with the drafting of Kinlaw in the middle of that defensive line. 

Dillon Johnson

The draft is right around the corner; some teams will draft the future of their team, while others are going to bust big time. Teams are rebuilding with a handful of draft picks, some teams are looking to build with two picks, but there are also teams looking to fill holes for a Super Bowl run. Every team has a reason to draft good, from top prospects to high injury risks. 

1. Cincinnati Bengals: Bengals are more than likely moving on from Andy Dalton. With Tua being too big of a risk, quarterback Joe Burrow is the safest bet for their number one pick. He led his team to a championship last season and looked great doing it.

2. Washington Redskins: New head coach Rivera is going to be looking for a solid quarterback to start off his first year with the Redskins. Haskins and Kennum were not cutting it for the Redskins last season, and I do not see a good head coach like Rivera not wanting to start with a new guy as well.  Quarterback Justin Herbert, I believe, is his guy. Herbert had a solid season in Oregon last season. He may be the number three QB in the draft but with Tagovailoa’s injuries, he is the safest. 

3. Detroit Lions: Detroit may be moving on from Stafford in the near future, but the offense was not the cause of their fall last season. Their defense was struggling. In the past couple of seasons teams have drafted defensive ends and the following season make it in the playoffs with a great defense. The Chargers with Joey Bosa and Nick Bosa with San Francisco. Chase Young is that player for the lions. He is one of the most dominant defensive players in recent history. He will make the lions line better right away. 

4. New York Giants: The Giants have key pieces set on offense, from their running back and quarterback. Their offensive line was not terrible, and they have promise in receivers. They were struggling big time in the linebacker position. They need someone that can step up and stop the run, but be able to cover in today's fast pace passing attacks. Isaiah Simmons LB seems to be that guy. 

5. Miami Dolphins: With last season's tank not going too well toward the end, the Dolphins are in a tough spot. They need a quarterback. Fitzpatrick is a journeyman; he has his flashes of great games, but that follows with awful games. He is old and too inconsistent to build a team around. The best quarterback left in the draft is Tagovailoa, he is a risk with his injuries but if he can stay healthy he is the best QB in the draft. A great player to build a new team around and with all the picks the Dolphins have, they are in a good spot to build, given Tagovailoa stays healthy.

6. Los Angeles Chargers: I believe if the Chargers do not trade out of this spot, they will regret it. The teams in front of them are in need of quarterback, and with the team moving away from Phillip Rivers, they are also in need of a quarterback. If they trade up, they can pick up Herbert or take a risk on Tagovailoa, or they can trade out of the number six spot to get some picks and wait till next year to draft their quarterback of the future. If they do not, I see them drafting wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. They need help on the offensive side of the ball. A solid number two receiver can make the new quarterback transition so much better.

7. Carolina Panthers: The panthers have two starting quarterbacks, so they do not need another. They have one of the best running backs in football. They could use some work on the receiver front. But in their division, they face a lot of pass heavy offenses and they need some help in the secondary. Cornerback Jeff Okudah is that solution, I believe. Having a solid corner in NFC south is huge in shutting down all 4 pass heavy teams. 

8. Arizona Cardinals: A lot like Young, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos can be the spark to the defensive line the Cardinals need. They have a fast, young offense with a lot of promise. Their defense was lagging behind, with strong running offenses in their division, they needed their line to be built up. 

9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jacksonville has had awful offenses the past couple years, while their defense has been solid or average at the very least. They have Nick Foles, who did struggle, but was coming off an injury, and Gardner Minshew who was inconsistent. Those two will be fighting for the starting job, and they need help on the outside. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy can be the main guy in Jacksonville. Jacksonville still needs more options on the outside but Jeudy can be a corner piece.

10. Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield was under constant pressure last season. I still do not believe in him as a great quarterback, but until his offensive line can provide some protection, Mayfield will never be consistent. For the Browns to begin their Super Bowl run they expected to go on this year, they need offensive lineman, and offensive lineman Andrew Thomas can help keep Baker safe.

In the near future, we will find out how this really plays out, but until then, this is how The Campus lays out the draft.